tennessee_prostart_championship_press_release_-_post-event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 8, 2014 CONTACT: Greg Adkins Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Education Foundation 615-406-1172 greg@tnhta.net Culinary Students Rise to the Top at Tennessee ProStart Championship Students win scholarships and advance to the National ProStart Invitational Nashville, Tenn – High school teams from across the state met in Nashville on April th to compete at the 3rd Annual Tennessee ProStart Championship This annual competition is the culminating event of the ProStart Program, a two year career education curriculum geared towards the restaurant and foodservice industry The Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Education Foundation is excited to announce the winners of this year’s competition: Restaurant Management: Place: Wilson Central High School, Lebanon 2nd Place: Sevier County High School, Sevierville 3rd Place: Antioch High School, Nashville st Culinary: 1st Place: Blackman High School, Murfreesboro 2nd Place: Glencliff High School, Nashville rd Place: Sevier County High School, Sevierville “Best in Class” Management: Allison Wittmer, Wilson Central High School, Lebanon “Best in Class” Culinary: Evan Davis, Wilson Central High School, Lebanon Best Knife Skills: Gabe Flowers, Bradley Central High School, Cleveland “Teacher of the Year”: Richmond Flowers, Bradley Central High School, Cleveland “This competition gives students the opportunity to bring to life the culinary and restaurant management skills they have gained through the ProStart program,” said Greg Adkins, President and CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Education Foundation “The competitors have spent countless hours throughout the academic year preparing with the help of their educators and industry mentors, and we were very impressed with their performances.” Teams in the Management event demonstrated their knowledge of the industry by developing a restaurant proposal, delivering a verbal presentation, and applying critical thinking skills to challenges that restaurant managers face in day-to-day operations Teams participating in the Culinary competition demonstrated their creative abilities through the preparation of a threecourse meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners The performance of teams in both the management and culinary events was observed and rated by judges from leading colleges and universities and industry professionals from across the state The first place teams will travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota from May 3-5, 2014, to compete against 45 other teams from across the country at the 13th Annual National ProStart Invitational, hosted by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation 1st- 3rd place teams at the Tennessee ProStart Championship also took home college scholarships Over $1,080,000 in scholarships offers has been dedicated to the winners of the TN ProStart Championship from colleges and universities including: the International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute, the New England Culinary Institute, Johnson and Wales, Sullivan University, Le Cordon Bleu, the Louisiana Culinary Institute, and the Culinary Institute of America The Tennessee ProStart Championship is sponsored by the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Education Foundation, Monell’s Dining and Catering, the Memphis Restaurant Association, the Metropolitan Memphis Hotel and Lodging Association, the Sevier County Lodging Alliance, the Peabody Memphis Hotel, the University of Memphis Kemmons Wilson School, M Gibson Hotel Group, eHospitality Insurance (a division of Cornerstone Insurance Group), Sysco Nashville, US Foods, the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Embassy Suites Murfreesboro, the Indigo Hotel Downtown Nashville, Walters State Community College, Sullivan University, and S&D Coffee & Tea, with special donations by Ecolab, Sunset Grill, the Nashville Airport Marriott, and Hotel Preston Nationwide, more than 90,000 students in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and U.S military bases are served by ProStart, a two-year program supported by the NRAEF and state restaurant associations across the country The career-building program blends classroom learning with mentored work experience to teach high school students the management and culinary skills needed for a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry When students meet academic standards, complete a checklist of competencies, and work at least 400 hours in the industry, they are awarded the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement that signifies they are well qualified to enter the industry workforce For more information on the ProStart program and National ProStart Invitational, please visit http://www.nraef.org/ProStart About the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Education Foundation The Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Education Foundation was established in 2008 for the purpose of furthering the educational goals of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association TnHTEF raises money for annual post-secondary scholarships, provides guidance and industry mentors to high school hospitality programs, and works to improve and expand hospitality education all over the state of Tennessee TnHTEF is a registered 501(c)(3) The hospitality and tourism industry is the second largest in Tennessee, and represents 289,000 jobs and an annual economic impact in excess of $15 billion Learn more about TnHTEF at www.tnhta.net ###